Research shows that video-game play improves basic mental abilities.
by Peter Gray
In two previous articles (here and here), I summarized evidence countering the common fears about video games (that they are addictive and promote such maladies as social isolation, obesity, and violence). I also pointed there to evidence that the games may help children develop logical, literary, executive, and even social skills. Evidence ...

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A 14-year-old boy in Mexico had such an intense fear of growing up that he took extreme steps to hide or curb his growth, such as restricting his food intake and distorting his voice, according to a new report of his case.
The boy's phobia started when he was about 11 years old. He had ...

From a non-autistic point of view, people with autism can seem somewhat disconnected in social and emotional terms. It’d be tempting to attribute this to differences in brain connectivity—wiring that never quite got connected—and in fact, this has been the prevailing hypothesis. But this week, researchers report that the brains of autistic children are actually ...

Creativity blossoms in a non-controlling, non-judgmental environment.
Published on October 16, 2012 by Peter Gray in Freedom to Learn
In my last post I wrote of evidence that children’s creativity has declined over the past two or three decades, a period during which children’s lives, both in and out of school, have become increasingly controlled and regulated by adult authorities. Here, now, is some ...

Bateson called them "drab and colorless:" The culture where play is shameful.
The Baining—one of the indigenous cultural groups of Papua New Guinea—have the reputation, at least among some researchers, of being the dullest culture on earth.
Early in his career, in the 1920s, the famous British anthropologist Gregory Bateson spent 14 months among them, until he finally ...

Why Mother Nature motivates our children to play in emotionally exciting ways.
In play, children practice many skills that are crucial for healthy development. They practice physical and manual skills, intellectual skills, and social skills. I have written about all of this in previous posts. They also practice emotional skills. In play, children learn how to regulate their fear and anger and ...

(CNN) — A college degree can be an important gateway to employment, a career and a better standard of living. But a college degree does not equate to someone’s level of intelligence or talent. For those seeking the best workers or leaders, there is a plethora of intelligent, inventive people without degrees who should not be overlooked.

By Peter Gray
The monsters under the bed are real.
Infants and young children in our culture regularly protest going to bed. They make all sorts of excuses. They say they are not tired, when in fact they obviously are tired. They say they are hungry, or thirsty, or need to hear a story (and then one ...

ScienceDaily (July 7, 2011) — Pupils with special needs and teachers in mainstream schools in the UK are often the victims of a "one size fits all" approach to schooling and education, a leading academic has claimed.
Professor Paul Cooper, a chartered psychologist and professor of education at the University of Leicester, said pupils with social, emotional ...